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Behind the big themes, celebrated figures, and dry dates of history are the interesting stories of life in the past and ordinary people. Southeast Missouri has a varied and rich history that you often don’t hear about in history classes. Join Bill Eddleman of the State Historical Society of Missouri to hear about these stories with “Tales from Days Gone By.” Listen in on the second and fourth Thursday of the month during Morning Edition (7:45 a.m.) and All Things Considered (4:44 p.m.)

The Death of Jacob Miller: A Civil War Tragedy

Unidentified Union infantry soldier from the Civil War.
Library of Congress
Unidentified Union infantry soldier from the Civil War.

The Civil War was a tragic event, resulting in the death of over 700,000 people. It is easy to forget that the dry statistics of deaths often masks the tragedy of each individual story. The story of the death of one Iowa soldier in Cape Girardeau in a tragic accident is one example.

The Union Army quickly fortified Cape Girardeau in summer and fall 1861 because of the perceived threat of secessionists seizing the town. Its location on the river was strategic, and the Union could ill-afford losing the town and having river traffic disrupted. Federal forces occupied the town by early July, and construction began on four forts to defend from land attack. Newly-raised infantry regiments from Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin arrived to assist in construction, complete training, and stage for future campaigns down river. Many of the men in these units wrote letters home, some of these have survived, and descendants donated part of these to archival collections. Two of these document the tale of the death of Jacob Miller, of Co. H, Tenth Iowa Infantry.

Pvt. Miller was a 40-year-old farmer in Greene County, Iowa, when he enlisted for service in the Tenth in August. His son Daniel, age 18, also enlisted and was in Company H. It is possible the father enlisted to watch over his son, or perhaps the family was strongly pro-Union as many Iowans were. Jacob and his wife Rebecca were parents of six living children, the youngest were three-month-old twins.

The Tenth headed to Cape Girardeau on October 1 to assist in fortifying the post against the rebel threat. Sorties dispatched to outlying towns, such as Bloomfield helped to counter the threat. It was at this time while in Cape Girardeau that Jacob Miller fell to friendly fire.

Letters written by Privates Osiah A. Moser and Henry Lockwood document the events leading to the death. A lieutenant of the Tenth was passing through town on October 19 near a known house of ill-fame. He heard a noise and cry of “Murder!” from the house, causing him to go to the front door. Three men met him at the door, one with a revolver. The lieutenant returned to camp, detailed three men to return to the house, one being Jacob Miller. He concluded he needed more force to capture the three, so he left the three soldiers around the corner to one side of the house to watch the door. Then he returned to camp and got five more men. He failed to tell the second group he already had men at the house. When they arrived, one armed man ducked into the side door, and two armed men appeared at the front door. The first three soldiers came around the corner. Thinking them to be the men from inside, the second group fired. One bullet went through Jacob Miller’s heart, and he died instantly. Miller’s was the first death among the Tenth Iowa, and Lockwood’s letter states his son was to accompany the body back home.

To compound the Miller family’s bereavement, the son Daniel succumbed to disease at Bird’s Point, Missouri less than four months later, during the New Madrid campaign. Private Moser’s letter says it best: “…thus we see that in the midst [of] life we are in death, and how important it is that we should always be ready, for we know not what moment we may be called off.”

Bill Eddleman was born in Cape Girardeau, and is an 8th-generation Cape Countian. His first Missouri ancestor came to the state in 1802. He attended SEMO for two years before transferring to the University of Missouri to study Fisheries and Wildlife Biology. He stayed at Mizzou to earn a master of science in Fisheries and Wildlife, and continued studies in Wildlife Ecology at Oklahoma State University.